New base 13'' MBA vs. X220

[nebulos]

The point is that his decision is not based on how pretty the damn thing is. He observed it; he doesn't require it. Learn the difference.





The question wasn't "will it still work after a drop?" Because the majority of notebooks with SSDs will still "work" after a drop. Durability is, how sensitive is it to DAMAGE. Lenovos are tanks; you can drop them and have nary a scratch. The Air falls from 3 feet and falls "just right" and BAM, a corner is dented in.

In the general durability arena, the Air falls short compared to Lenovo.




You do realize that to a regular customer, what you said is all gibberish, right? PEOPLE DON'T CARE. Functionally, they are identical except that one is cheaper, one is uglier, one is Windows and one is Mac. Stop trying to push your agenda with meaningless specs.

i think you should take a deep breath and reread my post. not sure what prompted this response or what my agenda is.

 

[docgerrard]

1) I need to use flash pretty often. Is this a big deal?

2) When I watch lectures online, one of the biggest perks is being able to watch videos at 1.5 and 2 times speed. The format used does not support this option on Macs but does on Windows. Is there any way to get around this.. without having to dual boot with Windows 7?

Thanks everyone!

 

[maclaptop]

I am trying to decide between the two.

You're not about to get a fair comparison in any Apple forum. Not even close.

That revealed, I've got first hand experience with both models in question, because I've owned them since they were released.

Having used Mac laptops, & ThinkPads concurrently in my work & personal use for years, I have high regards for them both.

It's all personal preference.

The best advisor is you, after you've done your research, via all the reviews Google will serve up for your consideration.

That's the highest & best use of your time. Time spent on a forum will only mislead you.

Good Luck

 

[docgerrard]

1) I need to use flash pretty often. Is this a big deal?

2) When I watch lectures online, one of the biggest perks is being able to watch videos at 1.5 and 2 times speed. The format used does not support this option on Macs but does on Windows. Is there any way to get around this.. without having to dual boot with Windows 7?

Thanks everyone!

I'm definitely going to buy the MBA first. Especially because now that I figured out a little (maybe unethical) loophole, I will get to try it out and then buy it tax-free if I am happy, if not have enough time to order the X220.

I know if I bought the MBA, I would regret it because of the price of the X220.
I know if I bought the X220, I would regret it because I have always wanted a Mac and the MBA is such a powerful machine but also quite durable and incredibly pretty.

I think I would regret the X220 more.

I was just hoping I could get the questions I quoted answered if anyone has experience! Thanks

 

[nebulos]

Time spent on a forum will only mislead you.

exactly, don't listen to this guy; he wrote that on a forum.

You're not about to get a fair comparison in any Apple forum. Not even close.

... It's all personal preference.

agreed. (unless you need the battery potential of the X220, i don't see a huge difference functional between these two machines, ... well, the trackpad, OS))

I know if I bought the X220, I would regret it because I have always wanted a Mac and the MBA is such a powerful machine but also quite durable and incredibly pretty.

wait, haven't you heard? you don't care about looks!

and when you did you decide it was durable? in fact, i hear it dents quite easily.

by the way, the MBA is not really all that 'powerful', relatively speaking. the X220 is more powerful. (but if you're not pushing the CPU, as you describe, no difference.)



i can't answer your flash question, but i wonder how much of a concern this is with this year's processors. if you can go to a store and test out the vids first hand, that's obviously your best bet.

 

[nrgflow]

I personally own the MBA and X220 and based on your usage, a MBA would suffice. For myself, I tried using the MBA for work where I need to access a Windows environment. To accomplish this, I installed VMWare running Windows 7 and the MBA was seriously under load. This caused the bottom of the unit to get hot and the fan to run almost constantly. I tried tuning VMWare, more memory, to prevent paging to disk and other tricks but no luck on reducing load.

For typical users, the MBA looks, feels, and works great. Bottom line would be your usage.

 

[johnhurley]

I am trying to decide between the two.

don't do anything processor intensive, except stream videos and webcam. don't need more storage than 128

With a SSD, webcam and bluetooth, the X220 may be similar in price, but most probably cheaper.

the MBA is half a pound lighter. awesome, but not a deal breaker.

the MBA is thinner, but this scares me in terms of durability
on the other hand, the X220 is such a rugged machine. incredible build quality (not saying the MBA doesn't)

the MBA has a higher resolution screen, but its not an IPS... and I have seen many people having problems with viewing angles in the new one

aesthetically, the MBA is the most magnificent piece of technology i have ever seen

Do you use windows or mac os x most?

If you want a dedicated windows machine then you have a solution.

 

[3dflyboy1]

I don't know if this was already pointed out, but the X220 has a full-power sandy bridge i5, not an ULV version.

Also, the X220 has a 9hr battery life. (minimum! with an extended batt it jumps to 14)

Worth considering.

 

[zap2]

Not worth arguing with mindless Apple fanboys.

Yea, I hate when those type of people go on PC forums and bash PCs

Isn't that software related, as in OSX?

Yes, although I don't think Flash performance in OS X is as bad as many people make it out to be. But running Windows will be a fine solution to an OS X software issues

1) I need to use flash pretty often. Is this a big deal?

2) When I watch lectures online, one of the biggest perks is being able to watch videos at 1.5 and 2 times speed. The format used does not support this option on Macs but does on Windows. Is there any way to get around this.. without having to dual boot with Windows 7?

Thanks everyone!

You could install a virtual machine and run Windows alone side of Mac OS X.
Parallels or VMware Fusion are paid software which run VMs while Virtual Box is freeware that does the same(although VMware is a bit more staples in my experience) Either way you'll still need a Windows install. Another choice is to running WINE under Linux which lets you run Windows apps,but if you're going that in a VM you'd be virtualizing inside of a virtual machine.


Another way I run Windows is through Citrix XenApp which pulls down a XP desktop that is running on a server elsewhere. It's a real cool piece of technology, although it requires a rather expensive set up(but my work provides it to me)

Do you use windows or mac os x most?

If you want a dedicated windows machine then you have a solution.

The Air is a wonderful Windows laptop as well. The things it brings to the table are fantastic and only now are PC vendors just starting to match some of them(although not build quality)